Customs College

Today I’ve decided to share some picture and info on the amenities at the Customs College in Rigaud, Quebec or the formal name which is the CBSA Learning Centre.

Rigaud is a quaint little town…and I mean little!…and I was pleasantly surprised to find quite beautiful. The town has a few little businesses like a hairdresser and few restaurants. The best is probably the greasy spoon down the street where you can get pizza, pasta or even a decent souvlaki if you get sick of the cafeteria food. There is also a Tim Horton’s but no Second cup or Starbucks unfortunately. So if you are a coffee lover you will have to drive for any specialty coffee. As for grocery stores, there is a Metro and an IGA.

The College Campus is quite nice actually. I believe the building was originally a monastery or something to do with the church as there are stained glass windows in one of the training rooms.

Opened in April 1980

The main entrance.

here is a couple shots of the greenery.

I did spend sometime at this picnic table reading. it was very peaceful!

So lets start with what my room looked like.

Here’s the bed.

I actually slept great on this bed. It was a queen. mattress is firm.

There is a phone for local calls or charges apply. The phone also flashes red if you have a message. At the bottom left hand corner you can see the edge of a mini fridge. No its not a mini bar!

At the top left you can see part of the closet where you can hang up clothes.

I also had my own TV and a desk.

Here’s what my bathroom looked like.

Nothing special but not bad at all….served the purpose.

Ok so now let me show you the cafeteria.

They try to stagger when people have their lunches as depending on occupancy the cafe can get quite packed and the lines long. Also once they run out of something that its so get their early!

The Coffee station. Nectar of the gods. I was here many times a day!!! Its almost always open.

There was one area for deli stuff like sandwhiches and pita wraps, then there were two islands one for sides, and one for a salad/fruit bar. At the back was the grill for burgers, fries, hot mains, steak, clubhouse sandwiches, poutine etc.

After all that food, may be you would like to work some of the calories off here at the gym. The equipment is not bad but not much in the way of free weights. There was one bench press and some dumbells…there rest were machines. Oh they also has a smith machine.

For those of you who prefer sports there is a gymnasium where you can play volleyball, basketball, floor hockey, badminton etc…

or you could go for a swim in the indoor pool (which may have been shut down)

And then have a sauna before you shower.

A little tight I know….and no its not co-ed!

In the basement of the residence wing there is a lounge in the basement where people get together to relax.

There is also a pool table in the lounge

and table tennis…I must say I became quite proficient at ping pong!

And Bubble hockey! not free or always operational but a classic!

for those of you who prefer to read there was a shelf with a few books on it for anyone to borrow.

There was also a communal microwave

A TV room you could reserve for a movie night

With some nice seating…even if the TV is outdated…maybe they have a flat screen now.

Here is the laundry room. you will need your own detergent as they don’t sell any.

In the room next door is a room dedicated for ironing.

Here is the internet lab….where the connection is like two paper cups with a string in between. Supposedly its regular, but it was super slow.

Also many websites are blocked from being accessed. So if you are a facebook addict bring your own 3G / 4G device.

And lastly, here is the port of Rigaud where some of the training is done. Just like the real thing!!!

Overall, the amenities were better than I expected the first time I went. Just having your own room is nice. The food is not bad and if you get tired of it there a few place nearby off campus. I must say that I enjoying going to Rigaud and I find it to be a really beautiful place.

For any new recruits going, I’m sure you will be fine with the facilities.